Internet Use Impact on Physical Health during COVID-19 Lockdown in Bangladesh: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

  1. Tanvir Abir
  2. Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu
  3. Dewan Muhammad Nur-A Yazdani
  4. Abdullah Al Mamun
  5. Kaniz Kakon
  6. Anas A. Salamah
  7. Noor Raihani Zainol
  8. Mansura Khanam
  9. Kingsley Emwinyore Agho

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Abstract

Previous studies on internet use frequency were focused on mental health impact, with little known about the impact on physical health during the COVID-19 lockdown. This study examined the impact of internet use frequency on self-reported physical health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Bangladesh. A web-based cross-sectional study on 3242 individuals was conducted from 2 August–1 October 2020. The survey covered demographics, internet use frequency and self-reported physical health questions. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the impact of internet use frequency on physical health. 72.5%, 69.9%, 65.1% and 55.3% respondents reported headache, back pain, numbness of the fingers and neck pain, respectively. The analyses showed increased physical health impact among regular (coefficient β = 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18–0.85, p = 0.003), frequent (β = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.88–1.54, p < 0.001) and intense (β = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.91–2.57, p < 0.001) internet users. Other important predictors were gender, income, occupation, regions, and working status. Frequent and extensive uses of the internet were strong predictors of physical health problems, and our findings suggest the need for increased awareness about the physical health problems that can be triggered by excessive internet usage.

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  1. Version published to 10.3390/ijerph182010728
  2. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2021.08.06.21261689: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Ethicsnot detected.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    No key resources detected.

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    This study has some limitations. First, the cross-sectional design of this study does not allow for causality or the direction of relationships to be determined. However, appropriate analysis of cross-sectional data represents a useful initial step in identifying associations between extensive internet usage and the physical health condition of the participants. Second, as the responses were self-reported, it was not possible to verify the participants’ physical health complaints, which may lead to a response bias. Multiple assessments, interviews, and informants may have provided a richer and more thorough understanding of this topic. Third, since the survey was administered during COVID-19 lockdown using an online platform, it is possible that some respondents, especially those living in rural areas with limited internet access or people addicted to other online platforms such as gaming or social media, may not have participated in this survey. Although this findings may not represent the opinion of all internet users, a face-to-face survey was not possible at the time due to the lockdown measures. Despite these limitations, this was the first study to investigate the associations between extensive internet use and physical health symptoms in a sample of adolescents in mainland Bangladesh. Future studies could address nesting follow-ups in existing random samples that could provide timely access to longitudinal population-representative data.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    Results from scite Reference Check: We found no unreliable references.

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  3. Version published to 10.1101/2021.08.06.21261689v1 on medRxiv